Friday, April 24, 2015

I really wish that I could play "Dazzle Ball" like on Sofia the First. haha!!

Yes, I probably watch too many cartoons with my kids. But that game actually looks like fun.

The ball magically changes from Frisbee to soccer ball to football, etc. Looks like lots of fun for sure. Maybe I could wish for the ball to turn into something that I could play at this very moment...definitely not the soccer ball. lol

I'm a little over 10 weeks post surgery from my ACL reconstruction. Doing good as long as I take it easy....which is sometimes hard to do. And I can't even blame that on having kids. My kids more times than not remind me that I have a "broken leg". Well, it's not really broken, it's just cranky these days. Especially with our "April Showers/spring storms" weather.

Guess what, Folks?!!?!?!

My husband hit the 50 lbs lost mark!!! We are at 100+ lbs lost between the two of us. Pretty amazing. I'm amazed each time I put on an article of clothing and it fits and it's smaller than what I was wearing a year ago. It's truly one of the best feelings in the world....next to marrying your best friend, childbirth, etc. Can't leave out those special moments ♥

Life here at The Smiths is going good. We've started the busy time of the school year....STAAR testings (thankfully, finished those this week), field trips, field days, teacher meetings, school parties, holidays, and I could go. Throw in potential soccer games (weather hasn't been cooperative this season) and it provides a pretty active schedule for the entire family. I know that with each posting this year, I never fail to mention the lack of my blog postings. Life just gets busy. Social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) seems to be just a click away and blogging actually takes sit down time. I can facebook with the best of them while I walk the track at the gym...better yet, that's when I get my best facebooking time in. Haha.

This picture pretty much describes my life these days....quick grab a pic. You don't see the toothbrush that Leia is holding (thanks to instagram cropping) I'm down to only one Jamberry nail...totally need to sit down and fix that. But hey! I got the kids off to school and got myself and Leia ready to make a Target run. And seeing her smile and the smiles of her brother and sister remind me...THAT is what matters. Oh, life is hurried and busy....but my family is HAPPY.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Tomorrow marks a Big milestone for our middle child, Lilyann. No, she's not getting her first tooth or rolling back to front. She's celebrating her 7 year heart anniversary. 7 years ago....as a tiny, barely weighing 10 lbs little baby girl was having open heart surgery. Crazy!

a before surgery pic...and after surgery pic. You can see just in her skin color how well she was doing ♥

I look back on it now and think of how far technology has come in the last 7 years. I'm sure surgeons perform a VSD repair numerous times each week. It's probably something they could do with their eye's closed. We were told at the time of consultation with Lily's heart surgeon, that this was an easy fix. If you HAD to have a hole in your heart...this was the one to have. Now hearing that didn't make these new parents feel less worried. It was OUR child. OUR baby girl. This was SERIOUS!!!

our meeting with the surgeon

Jed taking his shift on keep Lily calm the night before surgery. Fasting is no joke with a baby

Checking in at the hospital early that morning 4/15/08

Emotions flowed that day. Stress, worry, excitement. We've never been glued to a television screen so much. I love that the hospital thought to have screens with patient's current surgical stats put up throughout the hospital. Then you weren't confined to the small waiting areas pacing. You could pace up and down the hallways, through the gift shop and the cafeteria. Now for patients confidentially rights...they were listed as in code. We knew our code. And 7 years later, it's slipped my mind...go figure. We knew when she was being put under, when the surgery actually started. Great tools for keeping worried parents and family at some sort of ease during this difficult time.

Seeing Lily the first time just passing through the hallway heading up to the Cardiac ICU

Lily...post surgery

All the meds she was getting just after surgery

Her first bottle...a few days after surgery.

5 hours later, we were seeing our precious baby girl. Tubes and wires in an organized mess covering her...and the film covering her whole body. I can't remember if this was to keep germs away or to keep her warm. But she was doing good. The surgery was a success!!!

Just this weekend, we had someone ask about Lily. Her shirt was low enough to show a little of her zipper. It still amazes me how well Miss Lilyann is doing today. Prayer and God are what kept our Lilyann safe and healthy.

And just last month, we made a visit to her cardiologist to receive a clean bill of health. She is free to do sports, whatever!! She is heart healthy and we don't go back to see the cardiologist until she is 12 years old!!! Amazing!

♪♫♪Happy Happy Joy Joy♪♫♪
Welcome to our blog. I never knew the journey that accompanies a family. Getting married was a big step/commitment; but adding kiddos to the mix, euphoria on a bi-polar level ;) It's incredible how much you can love your little army of kiddos. Oh, they drive us both to brink of insanity...but no matter what happens...whether good or bad...funny or sad...it will all work out!
Family Verse: Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to [his] purpose."